With just two signings made this summer, Madrid has almost had a near-perfect structure, which is a big plus for the choice of the caliber of the players signed and the significance of the positions they are expected to fill in the team....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Nonetheless, one major area that merits attention is the attack, where they may have to complete the signings of a backup number 9 striker and a right-winger.
Without a deep purse, which I doubt that they have, especially with what has been expended so far – a signing bonus for Rudiger presumably in the region of €20M, and a €100M transfer fee for Tchouameni – what is left of the €200M that was available for Mbappe’s transfer that never happened?
Still, the case for both remaining signings is a glaring one. Madrid’s attack last season had Benzema as the focal or rallying point due to his experience, quality, and linkup play that made the attacking front very effective.
Vinicius and Rodrygo, who often played at the left-wing and right-wing on both sides of Benzema though skilled, were lacking in experience and tended to be in disarray in his absence, and this usually rendered the attack impotent at such times. This was the negative impact of not having a viable backup for Benzema, with the misfiring Jovic and Mariano filling that role at different times.
If Asensio who at 26 was expected to have made the right-wing his own, being the right-winger of the first choice, had shown enough consistency, leadership, and quality, the problem that Benzema’s absence usually created in the attack would not have made a negative impact.
So, the need for a relatively experienced and quality backup number 9 striker, and a right-winger of quality and consistency speaks for itself, as Madrid cannot afford to be saddled with the problems in both positions that they faced last season, more so if they expect to exceed their performance for the last season which they do.
It is obvious that if Madrid is to get the players to fill both these necessary positions this summer with the available funds, they will have to look in the direction of getting one of them cheap by availing themselves of a player returning from a loan and sign the other for not more than the €80M remaining from the Mbappe transfer fund, which may be all that is available to them.
My take is that Borja Mayoral, a Real Madrid center-forward now due to return from loan at Getafe where he scored 6 goals in 18 appearances in the just-concluded season fits that bill. He is capable of filling the backup striker role for Benzema, and at no cost.
This is something he has desired for a long time but which curiously has not been granted to him, perhaps due to a misplaced trust in Jovic to justify his large transfer fee.
As for the right-wing, it will depend on whether Asensio departs or not. If he decides to see out his contract that expires in 2023, Madrid may have no choice but to keep him, and that may complicate signing another right-winger, as Lucas Vazquez is there to serve as the backup after relinquishing the backup role at right-back to Odriozola who also will be returning from loan.
However, if he leaves as he is most likely to do given the number of clubs associated with interest in signing him, Madrid could settle for any of the right-wingers they are said to have shown interest in signing.
Raheem Sterling with a transfer fee of £60M, or Paulo Dybala who will soon be a free agent, and whose signing bonus would not likely exceed €20M, are both quality right-wingers who can score double-digit goals per season.
Serge Gnabry, who is another quality option for the right-wing, would be a long shot in the dark as Bayern Munich are not likely to sell him, and Madrid would not like to be enmeshed in another transfer saga after the last one.
